Wednesday, August 26, 2015

This table was so ugly, the owner of the thrift store just gave it to me! I promised her I would show a picture of the make over. Someone had painted the top a terrible gold color. I am showing the first picture after sanding all that gunk off.

Next I mixed up a custom color of taupe chalk paint. I was envying the color combo of taupe and cream. I painted on two coats of color and then applied a clear coat of Annie Sloan's soft wax. Then a tiny bit of the dark wax mixed with more clear wax.

I then screen printed my most favorite typography from The Graphics Fairy. Click here to download the image. Thank you, Karen, for providing the French advertisement. I mixed a light gray with a little black ink to achieve the darker gray. Shows up beautifully on the cream! Here is the end result!

Friday, July 17, 2015

My husband thought this table was ugly and didn't want me to keep it for ourselves. However, after I turned it into a beautiful swan, he wondered why we were selling it!

I painted the top with my own recipe for chalk paint in a matte black. I did the same with the grey on the bottom, by mixing just a little black paint into pure white. I even painted the inside of the drawers with the black.

The entire piece was then buffed with Annie Sloan's clear wax. Note that your black can look a little blotchy even after two coats, but I feel it's part of the character created by chalk paint. (Add your graphic below before applying wax). I then rubbed on a coat of dark wax (not heavy) over the grey. Since this particular piece of furniture was smooth before paint, there was not much for detail to rub the dark wax into. Still I thought it looked fantastic with the added colour of the dark wax.

The best part of this project was adding the graphic. You will find this lovely image on The Graphics Fairy. I love this website so much, I bought the premium membership. However, there are over 4,000 free images to download! The image was actually screen printed with a thick white paint; mostly white that was mixed with the tiniest bit of black to get the perfect grey. I am so excited that the same ink you screen print fabric with, can work just as well on wood. I let the ink completely dry and then put another layer of wax over top to seal.

Friday, June 12, 2015

I absolutely love this beehive from The Graphics Fairy. For this table, I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint. I was thinking about selling the Victorian boots, but now I am changing my mind, as I would like to keep for display every time I use this graphic.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

After a break from the furniture business, mostly due to lack of time, I decided to finish a bookshelf that has been sitting in the basement for three years. The bookshelf was inspiration from one posted on my Pinterest page. The postcard was expanded by use of this website; love it. Blockposters. The graphic was applied using a Matte medium gel by Golden. However, a lot of work to rub off the paper! The bookshelf sold immediately at a summer show in Nebraska.

About Me

Welcome to me! My love of vintage and shabby began many years ago in my home country of Canada. I began selling my shabby chic furniture and accessories at the Paris Street Market in Denver about 10 years ago. Since I work full time and have another business selling salsa and dips, my work is now limited to smaller art pieces and little projects. I love sharing on this blog, and hearing from you! My creative spirit just won't go away, so check back often! Love you to all, Lynn